The Bossier banner., 1887-10-06

to gather it. But woman glideS SO softly
Into the house of destitution, and finds out
all the sorrows of the place, and puts so
quietly the donation on the table, that
all the family come out on the
front steps as she departs, ex-
pect.ng that from under her
shawl she will thrust out two wings and
go right up toward Heaven, from whence
she seems to have come down. o Chris
tian young woman if you would make
yourself happy and win the blessing of
Christ, go out among the destitute. A loaf
of bread or bundle of socks may make a
homely load to carry, but angels of God
will come out to watch, and the Lord
Almighty will give His messenger hosts a
charge, saving: "Look after that woman.
Canopy her with your wings and shelter
her from all harm;'' and while you are
seated in tn. house of destitution and suf-
fering the little ones around the room will
whisper. "Wro is she? Amt she beauti-
fuls" and if yol will listen right sharply
you will hear dipping down through the
leaky roof and 'olling over the rotten
stairs the angels chant that shook Bethle-
hem:
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace good will to men.
Can you tell me why Christian woman
going down among the haunts Of iniquity
on a Christian errand never meets with
any indignity? l stood in the chapel Of
Helen Chambers, the daughter of the
celebrated DR.. Chambers, in the most
abandoned part of the city of Edinburgh,
and said to her as looked around upon
the fearful surroundings of that place:
"Do you come here nights to hold q serv-
ice" "Oh, yes" she said. "Can it be
possible thai you never met with an in
suit while performing this Christian
errand" "Never," she said, "never.n
That young woman who has her father by
her side walking down the street, an
armed police at each corner, is not so
well defended as that Christian woman
who goes forth on gospel work into the
haunts of iniquity carrying the
Bibles and bread. God, with the
red right ar: of his wrath
omnipotent would tear to peices any one
who should offer indignity. He would
smite him with lightnings. and drown
him with floods, and swallow him with
earthquakes, and damn him with eternal
Indignation. Some one said 81 dislike
very much to see that Christian woman
teaching those bad boys in the mission
school. am afraid to have her instruct
them" $780," said another man, 81 am
afraid, too" Said the first: 81 am afraid
they will use vile language before they
leave the place." "Ah," said the other
man, 81 am not afraid Of that What |
am afraid of is that, if any of those boys
should use a bad word in that presence,
the other boys would tear him to pieces
and kill him on the spot" That woman is
the best sheltered who is sheltered by the
Lord God Almighty, and you need never
fear going anywhere where God tells us to
60.
1t seems as if the Lord had ordained
woman for an especial work in the solicit
tation Of charities. Backed up by barrels
in which there is no -four, and by stoves in
which there is no fire, and by wardrobes in
which there are no clothes, a woman is ire
| sistible; passing on her errand, God says
| to her: "You go into that bank, or store,
or shop, and get the money" She goes in
| and gets it. The man is hard-isted, but
| she gets it. It is decreed from eternity
| she should get it, No need of your turn
| ing your back and pretending you don't
hear; you do hear. There is no need of
your saying you are begged to death
There is no need of your wasting your
| time, and you might as well submit frs,
| as last. You had better right away take
| down your check book, mark the number
| Of the check, fill up the blank, sign you1
name, and hand it to her. There is
no need of wasting time. These
poor children on the back street have
been hungry long enough. That sick
man must have some farina. That con
sumptive must have something to ease hi:
| cough. meet this delegate of relief so
| ciety coming out Of the store of such a
hard-fisted man, and say: "Did you gel
the money!" "Of course" she says, 81
| got the money; that's what l went for
The Lord told me to go in and get it, and
He never sends me on FOOLS errand."
| Oh, what great mistake those business
men make who never tell their business
troubles to their wives! There comes some
great loss to their store, or some of theil
companions in business play them a sac
trick, and they carry the burden all alone
He is asked in the household again and
again, "What is the matter?" but he be.
lieves it a sort of Christian duty to keeI
all that trouble within his own soul. Oh
sir, your first duty was to tell your wifi,
all about it. She, perhaps, might not have
disentangled your finances or extended
your credit, but she would have helped
you to bear misfortune. You have NJ
right to carry on one shoulder that which
is intended for two. There are busines!
men here who know what mean. There
came a crisis in your affairs. You strug
gled bravely and long, but after awhile
there came day when you said: "Here
| / shall have to STOP" anG
you called in your partners
and you called in the most prom
inent men in your employ, and you said
"We have gott STOP" You left the store
suddenly. You could hardly make up
your mind to pass through the street anG
over on the ferry You felt every
body would be looking at you, and blam
ing you, and denouncing you. You hast.
ened home. You told your wife all about
the affair. What did she say? Did she
play the butterfly? Did she talk about the
silks, and the ribbons, and the fashions:
No. She came up to the emergency. She
| quailed not under the stroke. She helped
you to begin to plan right away. She of
fered to go out of the comfortable house
into q smaller one, and wear the old CLOAK
another winter. She was one who under
stood your affairs without blaming you
You looked upon what you thought was 9
| thin. weak wOman's arm holding Won mn.